Collapsible saw horse

ABSTRACT

A saw horse designed to provide a secure work position in the legs extended position and also a legs folded or collapsed position for convenient storage. The saw horse includes a pair of latches with each latch constructed to lock a pair of legs to each other and to the saw horse to prevent collapse of the saw horse under varying loads and lateral shocks.

United States Patent 1191 Barthel June 18, 1974 COLLAPSIBLE SAW HORSE 1,842,012 1/1932 Cline 182/155 1 1 1111611101 y 11111111111, 111111 8111111111, 35251322 1351323 33225i113::11:11::131131131113111:iii/iii Chwago R1dge,ll1- 60644 3,198,286 8/1965 Wilson 182/155 [22] Filed: Oct. 23, 1973 P E R Id P M h d rzmary xammer ema 0 ac a o [21] Appl' 408391 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Johnson, Dienner, Emrich,

Verbeck & Wagner [52] US. Cl. 182/155 [51] Int. Cl. Fl6m 11/00 57 ABSTRACT [58] Field of Search 182/155, 153, 181185, A d dt k 82/225; 248/166, 439; 108/131, I30 saxy orse es1gne 0 wow ea secure wor pos1- t1on 1n the legs extended posmon and also a legs folded or collapsed position for convenient storage. [56] References Cited The saw horse includes a pair of latches with each UNITED STATES PATENTS latch constructed to look a pair of legs to each other 843,118 2/1907 Struble 182/155 d t the aw horse to prevent collapse of the saw Beckwlth horse under varying loads and lateral hocks 1,583,652 5/1926 Brooks 182/155 1,778,566 10/1930 Pitner 182/155 10 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures COLLAPSIBLE SAW HORSE This invention pertains to collapsible saw horses.

The conventional collapsible saw horse may have a form of a toggle link latch to maintain each pair of adjacent legs in the extended position when the saw horse in in use. Because most collapsible saw horses are essentially portable, they are constructed of light weight materials and have a low total weight. Consequently, changes in loads on the saw horse, sudden lateral shocks or jars thereto, often have a tendency to lift the toggle links and the legs fold and the saw horse promptly collapses to the dismay of the worker.

Applicant has designed a collapsible saw horse that substantially mitigates the problems of the prior art. Specifically, applicant has provided a bracket for each end of the saw horse beam. Each bracket has an end wall and oppositely extending side walls. Mounted for rotation on each side wall is a leg for the saw horse. A latch is also mounted on each end wall and is provided with a lever, one end of which engages a leg mounted on one side wall and the other end of the leg mounted on the adjacent side wall when the legs are extended. The legs are thus locked together and to the end wall which also serves as astop for the legs. Preferably the lever engages a flange of the channel section of each leg. The lever is also curved to tightly wedge itself against the web of each leg in the latched position. Each latch prevents the inadvertent collapse of the legs under most conceivable conditions. Also provided is a lower pivotal brace that extends from one adjacent leg to the other and prevents spreading of the legs under extreme loads. Because of the triangular configuration of the legs for each bracket and the constant length of the brace, there is a wedging action as the brace is moved into position, often bowing the light gauge material in the legs. The braces, therefore, also do not have a tendency to become disengaged under the conditions mentioned. When the latches are released and each brace pivoted into the channel of one leg, the legs pivot about the brackets and into position under the beam to put the saw horse in the collapsed position. A rope or a flexible metal strap may be provided to maintain the saw horse in the collapsed position for convenient storage.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a new and improved collapsible saw horse.

Another object of this invention is to provide a collapsible saw horse having latch means which positively prevent inadvertent collapsing of the saw horse.

Still another object of the invention is to provide brackets having a pair of legs pivotally connected thereto and an associated latch which in pairs may be readily assembled with available lumber to provide a saw horse or trestle having the features and characterized as above.

Still another object of the invention is to provide such a construction of collapsible saw horse which is also of simple, practical and economical construction to manufacture.

Many other objects, advantages and/or features of the invention will be at once apparent or will become so as a preferred embodiment of the invention is hereinafter described.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view of a collapsible saw horse constructed in accordance with this invention, portions cut away in the interest of clarity and the collapsed position of the legs shown in broken lines;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the saw horse;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the latch pivot bolt;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragment view to illustrate the pivotal connection of the brace to one leg of each bracket; and

FIG. 8 is a fragmented view of the underside of one of the leg mounting brackets.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1, 10 indicates a collapsible saw horse. Saw horse 10 includes beam 11 which may be made of wood. Beam 11 is supported at each end by a pair of bracket-mounted legs. Since the brackets, their construction and manner of connecting to the saw horse 10 and collapsing of their legs at each end of the beam are identical, only a detailed description of one bracket and the associated structures will be given.

Each said brackets 12, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4, is constructed of light weight sheet metal material folded to define one end wall 14 and two side walls 15. Portions 16 of each side wall and the end walls are bent inwardly and placed under the bottom surface of beam 1 l. Suitably spaced apertures in said bent or flange portion 16 provide means through which lag screws 18 pass to secure the end and side walls of the bracket 12 to the underside of the beam 11. Also secured by lag screws 18 to the walls and beam is a strap 19 having suitable holes therefor. Strap 19 is made of heavier gauge sheet metal and provides reinforcement for the bracket 12.

As shown best in FIG. 3, strap 19 has end portions 20 between which and side walls 15 are positioned the bight 22 of channeled legs 24. Legs 24 are preferably positioned so that flanges 23 of their channel type cross section point inwardly toward each other. Rotatably mounting the flanges of each leg 24 to a respective side wall 15 of each bracket 12 and portion 20 of strap 19 through opening 26' is bolt 26, associated washers and a pair of locking nuts. As shown in FIG. 4, legs 24 (bight or web 22-) in their extended position encounter bracket end wall 14 which provides a stop to prevent further movement of the legs from their folded or collapsed position in their extended position. In their said extended position, ends 25 of the legs 24 (flanges 23) engage the underside of portions 16 to which beam 11 is fastened whereby the legs support the weight of the beam and resist any force applied to the beam to provide a rigid strong structure. End wall 14 also adds strength to prevent further movement under any loads applied to the saw horse. If desired legs 24 may be suitably corrugated in the direction of their longest dimension to increase their rigidity; however, the corrugations must not be carried so high as to interfere with the described pivoting thereof on bolts 26 to bracket 12.

Also supportedon end wall 14 of bracket 12 is latch 27 shown best in FIGS. 24 as comprising a pivot or shoulder type bolt 28 (FIG. 5) having a square cross section portion 29 and a round cross section portion 30. Handle 31 is non-rotatably mounted on the square portion of the bolt for rotation with bolt 28 and is located outside and adjacent end wall 14 of bracket 12. The square portion of bolt 30 extends through a suitable opening 32 in wall 14 which allows rotational movement thereabout. Also mounted on the square portion of the bolt is lever 33, securely held to bolt 28 by washers 36 and cotter pin 37. Opposed end portions 34 and 35 of lever 33 have curved or cam like surfaces which are adapted to not only engage and hold flange 23 of legs 24 respectively to end wall 14, but also wedge against the web or bight portions 22 of said legs 24 to securely lock the legs. Also, as illustrated best in FIG. 4, ends 34,35 of lever 33 are suitably beveled to assist in riding over flanges 23 of the respective legs 24. It is also to be observed by referring to FIG. 3 that in the latchclosed position latch handle 31 is in the vertical position so that there is no tendency of handle 31 to move to the open position by virtue of its own weight. Also to be observed is that the flanges 23 of legs 24 that are not engaged by the latch 27 contact the beam 11 in the legs collapsed position which also provides a stop for same.

A bolt 41 secured to end wall 14 as by a nut (not shown) provides a stop so that latch 29 will remain in the open position and not engage legs 24 when not desired.

To provide support for saw horse under heavy loads and also to contribute to all around stability, a movable brace is provided at 43 below bracket 12. Brace 43, as shown best in FIGS. 1, 3 and 7, has one end 44 wrapped about bolt 45 which extends between the opposed flanges 23 of leg 24. To restrain end 44 from sliding along bolt 45, spacer sleeves 46 are located on bolt 45 to either side of end 44. The opposite end 48 of brace 43 is shaped as a hook which in the latched position of brace 43 frictionally engages about a bolt 49 generally similar to bolt 45 but located in the other one of said pair of legs 24. Due to the triangular location of legs 24 and the lengthy end 48 of brace 43, the brace is wedged into position between the legs 24 and prevents separation of same under load and also restrains inadvertent motion of the brace 43 from the illustrated extended position. Braces 43 in the extended position may also be used as a support for board 50 shown utilized as a shelf.

Each of the four legs 24 preferably are also provided with a shoe 51 which may be of wood, plastic or rubber. Shoes 51 are secured to the legs 24 in any suitable manner and are conformed to provide a stable surface for the saw horse.

As shown by phantom lines in FIG. 1, the legs 24 of the saw horse are in a collapsed or folded position adjacent the beam ll in which position they may be secured by the illustrated rope 52, although a flexible metal strap, belt or the like may also be used. To set up the saw horse 10 into its useful position the operator disengages the rope shown and rotates the four legs 24 outwardly toward their extended position as shown in solid lines. Of course, in the collapsed state of the saw horse the two braces 43 will have been rotated upward into the channel portion of one leg 24 to which their end is pivotally connected. As legs 24 reach their downward position, they are pressed firmly into contact with end wall 14 which determines their ultimate open or extended position. The operator then turns handle 31 counterclockwise, while facing the rear of the saw horse, and lever 33 by means of its ends 34 and 35 engages flanges 39 of legs 24 and also their associated webs 22. Movable brace 43 is then rotated downwardly and its hook end 48 engaged over bolt 49,

hook end 48 effectively wedging leg 24 outwardly as it moves into engagement with bolt 50. Once the described operation has been repeated at each end, the saw horse is locked securely in its useful or working position. To collapse the saw horse, end 48 of brace 43 is unhooked from bolt 50 and pivoted upwardly into the opposite leg 24. Latch handle 31 is moved clockwise to unlatch same and the legs are rotated upwardly on bolts 26 to their stored or collapsed position.

From the above it will be seen that all the recited objects, advantages and features of the invention have been demonstrated as achievable in a highly practical and economical to manufacture embodiment of the invention.

Thus having described my invention, I claim:

1. A collapsible saw horse comprising:

a. a beam;

b. a pair of brackets, each bracket being secured to the underside of said beam adjacent to an end, each bracket having an end wall generally transverse to said beam and oppositely extending side walls;

. a first and second pair of legs, each leg of said first pair being rotatably mounted on one of said side walls of one of said pair of brackets and each leg of said second pair being rotatably mounted on one of said side walls of the other of said pair of brackets; and

d. a pair of latch means, each latch means being rotatably mounted on an end wall of each said pair of brackets, each latch means being adapted to engage a pair of legs to secure each of said pair of legs to each other and to an end wall when the legs are in the extended position to prevent collapse of the saw horse and to disengage said pair of legs to allow movement of same to the collapsed saw horse position.

2. The saw horse of claim 1 in which each of said brackets has a strap reinforcement secured to each bracket and to the beam and spaced from the side walls and with each leg being located between the strap and the side wall and rotatably supported by both the strap and the side wall.

3. The saw horse of claim 1 further comprising: a pair of rotatable braces, one brace being adapted to connect the first pair of legs and the other the second pair of legs beneath the latch means to provide support to the saw horse when the legs are in the extended position and to disconnect said pair of legs to allow move ment of same to the collapsed saw horse position.

4. The saw horse of claim 3 in which said end wall of one of said brackets provides a stop to said first pair of legs and said end wall of said other of said pair of brackets provides a stop to said second pair of legs in the legs extended position.

5. The saw horse of claim 2 in which each of said pair of latch means comprises: a shoulder bolt rotatably mounted on an end wall and extending between the side walls, a handle mounted on said bolt for rotation therewith, said handle being located adjacent said end wall remote from said legs, a lever centrally mounted on said bolt for rotation therewith, each end of said lever being adapted to engage a leg of said saw horse and means securing the items for rotation on said bolt.

6. The saw horse of claim 5 further comprising: means for securing said first and second pair of legs to said beam in the collapsed saw horse position.

7. The saw horse of claim 6, in which said first and said second pair of legs are of-a channel cross section and the ends of said lever engages an adjacent flange of each leg in the legs. extended position.

8. For assembly with a beam to form a collapsible saw horse, the combination of a pair of brackets, each adapted to be secured to the underside of the respective opposing ends of a beam, each bracket having an end wall mountable generally transverse to said beam and oppositely extending side walls; a'first and second pair of legs, each leg of said first pair being rotatably mounted on one of said side walls of one of said pair of brackets and each leg of said second pair being rotatably mounted on one of said side walls of the other of said pair of brackets; and a pair of latch means, each latch means being rotatably mounted on an end wall of each said pair of brackets, each latch means being adapted to engage a pair of legs to secure each of said pair of legs to each other and to an end wall when the legs are in the extended position to prevent collapse of the saw horse and to disengage said pair of legs to allow movement of same to the collapsed saw horse position.

9. The combination of claim 8 further comprising: a pair of rotatable braces, one brace being adapted to connect the first pair of legs and the other the second pair of legs beneath the latch means to provide support to the saw horse when the legs are in the extended position and to disconnect said pair of legs to allow movement of same to a collapsed saw horse position.

10. The combination of claim 8 in which each said latch means comprises: a shoulder bolt rotatably mounted on an end wall and extending between the side walls, a handle mounted on said bolt for rotation therewith, said handle being located adjacent said end wall remote from said legs, a lever centrally mounted on said bolt for rotation therewith, each end of said lever being adapted to engage a leg of said pair, and

means securing the items for rotation on said bolt. 

1. A collapsible saw horse comprising: a. a beam; b. a pair of brackets, each bracket being secured to the underside of said beam adjacent to an end, each bracket having an end wall generally transverse to said beam and oppositely extending side walls; c. a first and second pair of legs, each leg of said first pair being rotatably mounted on one of said side walls of one of said pair of brackets and each leg of said second pair being rotatably mounted on one of said side walls of the other of said pair of brackets; and d. a pair of latch means, each latch means being rotatably mounted on an end wall of each said pair of brackets, each latch means being adapted to engage a pair of legs to secure each of said pair of legs to each other and to an end wall when the legs are in the extended position to prevent collapse of the saw horse and to disengage said pair of legs to allow movement of same to the collapsed saw horse position.
 2. The saw horse of claim 1 in which each of said brackets has a strap reinforcement secured to each bracket and to the beam and spaced from the side walls and with each leg being located between the strap and the side wall and rotatably supported by both the strap and the side wall.
 3. The saw horse of claim 1 further comprising: a pair of rotatable braces, one brace being adapted to connect the first pair of legs and the other the second pair of legs beneath the latch means to provide support to the saw horse when the legs are in the extended position and to disconnect said pair of legs to allow movement of same to the collapsed saw horse position.
 4. The saw horse of claim 3 in which said end wall of one of said brackets provides a stop to said first pair of legs and said end wall of said other of said pair of brackets provides a stop to said second pair of legs in the legs extended position.
 5. The saw horse of claim 2 in which each of said pair of latch means comprises: a shoulder bolt rotatably mounted on an end wall and extending between the side walls, a handle mounted on said bolt for rotation therewith, said handle being located adjacent said end wall remote from said legs, a lever centrally mounted on said bolt for rotation therewith, each end of said lever being adapted to engage a leg of said saw horse and means securing the items for rotation on said bolt.
 6. The saw horse of claim 5 further comprising: means for securing said first and second pair of legs to said beam in the collapsed saw horse position.
 7. The saw horse of claim 6, in which said first and said second pair of legs are of a channel cross section and the ends of said lever engages an adjacent flange of each leg in the legs extended position.
 8. For assembly with a beam to form a collapsible saw horse, the combination of a pair of brackets, each adapted to be secured to the underside of the respective opposing ends of a beam, each bracket having an end wall mountable generally transverse to said beam and oppositely extending side walls; a first and second pair of legs, each leg of said first pair being rotatably mounted on one of said side walls of one of said pair of brackets and each leg of said second pair being rotatably mounted on one of said side walls of the other of said pair of brackets; and a pair of latch means, each latch means being rotatably mounted on an end wall of each said pair of brackets, each latch means being adapted to engage a pair of legs to secure each of said pair of legs to each other and to an end wall when the legs are in the extended position to prevent collapse of the saw horse and to disengage said pair of legs to allow movement of same to the collapsed saw horse position.
 9. The combination of claim 8 further comprising: a pair of rotatable braces, one brace being adapted to connect the first pair of legs and the other the second pair of legs beneath the latch means to provide support to the saw horse when the legs are in the extended position and to disconnect said pair of legs to allow movement of same to a collapsed saw horse position.
 10. The combination of claim 8 in which each said latch means comprises: a shoulder bolt rotatably mounted on an end wall and extending between the side walls, a handle mounted on said bolt for rotation therewith, said handle being located adjacent said end wall remote from said legs, a lever centrally mounted on said bolt for rotation therewith, each end of said lever being adapted to engage a leg of said pair, and means securing the items for rotation on said bolt. 